Coastal Hardware's Ian Rae shut down his store last year after 26 years in operation on the Sunshine Coast. Ian's store survived against the corporate giants until his retirement, but others have not been so lucky.Greg Miller

Is this the end of the 'mum and dad' business in Qld?

SMALL businesses are no longer Queensland's leading employers as mum and dad operations increasingly lose out to big players.

A new Queensland Government report reveals a major reversal in the traditional dominance of small firms over the past decade.

Experts say several factors are driving the trend - including consumers preferring to shop at larger stores with more choice, technology making it easier for national and multinational companies to expand, the burden of workplace laws and deregulation of trading hours forcing many corner stores to close.

Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland says urgent government action is needed "to help kickstart the small business economy and bring the jobs growth back to this essential sector''.